Restaurant news: Dining deals, winter hours, wild game and more

A note from Robin Lamothe of the Steaming Tender Restaurant in Palmer brought news of January goings-on in the classic train station restaurant her family owns.

The Christmas decorations will be up for a few days longer, Lamothe says, in order to give those who've not seen them a chance to check them out.

Steaming Tender will also have a number of special events going on in the weeks ahead.

Through special arrangements with the New England Central Railroad, which operates its main line adjacent to Steaming Tender, a NECRR freight will make a stop at on several Saturdays this month so that the engineer can conduct a Q & A for young train enthusiasts. The sessions will be held in Steaming Tender's parlor car, which is parked next to the station.

The restaurant also plans a comedy show and buffet on Jan. 22. Tickets are $35 per person.

Steaming Tender plans to celebrate National Popcorn Day (Jan. 19) with specialty popcorns, while on Jan. 20, Penguin Awareness Day, the restaurant will feature penguin coloring sheets for the kids.

On National Blond Brownie Day, which is celebrated on Jan. 23, the restaurant's featured dessert will be that butterscotch-flavored bar cookie. For more details or reservations, contact Steaming Tender at (413) 283-2744.

La Cucina di Hampden House in Hampden is celebrating 2013's arrival will a number of new dining out deals -- a Sunday and Tuesday "Dine with Wine" night, a Wednesday and Thursday "Grill Night," and a Monday half-price pizza special in the lounge. For more information, contact La Cucina di Hampden House at (413) 566-8324.

Peg Gorman of the Salem Cross Inn in West Brookfield sent New Year's greetings along with a reminder that the Salem Cross is now operating under its winter hours.

Lunch is served Fridays only from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; dinner continues 'till nine. Saturday the Inn is open in the evening for dinner; on Sundays the dinner menu is offered from noon on.

Always a booster for the Quaboag Hills region she calls home, Gorman extends an invitation for readers to contact her for winter-season day trip ideas in Ware, the Brookfields, Warren, Sturbridge, and vicinity. She says she'd be happy to oblige with suggestions. The Salem Cross Inn answers at (508) 867-2345.

Daniel Martinez of Bistro Les Gras in Northampton is presenting his fourth annual Wild Game Dinner on Jan. 20.

The seven-course feast features farm-raised wild game prepared in Martinez's French-influence style.

After a champagne reception, the meal will begin with ostrich tartare before moving on to a pheasant consomme with pheasant-stuffed tortellini.

A salad garnished with spiced and cured squab is next, to be followed by courses of wild boar confit and elk sausage.

Venison prepared in a "Wellington" style will conclude the savory portion of the menu; mincemeat pie is the planned dessert.

Dinner begins at 6 p.m. and is priced at $125 per person. Reservations are required and can be made by calling Bistro Les Gras at (413) 320-4666.

Peanut butter and jelly, the iconic comfort food sandwich, has been transformed into an elegant dessert by a New York City pastry chef.

As reported in Nation's Restaurant News, Chef Zac Young at the Treehouse Bar in New York City makes miniature sandwiches with peanut butter and strawberry preserves. He then dips the sandwiches in egg custard, coats them with crumbs, and deep-fries the result. The miniature sandwiches are served with a scoop of ice cream.

The Delaney House in Holyoke will be offering its next "Learn to Drink Like a Pro" night on Jan. 21.

Italian wines is the theme; the session's four-course menu begins with a scallops and bacon flatbread. A Caesar salad follows; the main course is veal Marsala.
For dessert Executive Chef Mick Corduff will be serving his own special version of tiramisu.

Four Italian wines will be poured during the evening, which begins at 6 p.m. and costs $35 to attend. Contact the Delaney House at (413) 532-1800 or go one like to logcabin-delaney.com to book reservations.

Though the cashless society has long been foretold, a few restaurant pioneers have taken the leap recently and opened no-cash operations.

Advances in handheld technology now make it easy for servers to process card transactions at the table, speeding service and permitting operations to go cashless.

Don't, however, expect this trend to become the norm anytime soon. Lots of consumers still prefer using cash, and restaurants that go "cards-only" become hostage to their payments-processing system. When any part of it goes down, they're out of business.

Hugh Robert is a faculty member in Holyoke Community College's hospitality and culinary arts program and has over 35 years of restaurant and educational experience. Please send items of interest to Off the Menu at the Republican, P.O. Box 2350, Springfield, MA 01102; Robert can also be reached at OffTheMenuGuy@aol.com